Hello
Eight sitting CPI(M) MLAs, including former chief minister Manik Sarkar (74), have been 'relieved of' contest-related responsibilities this time.
He also urged people to decide whether they are standing with a party of patriots, referring to the BJP, or with the 'tukde tukde gang' under the leadership of Congress.
The move is being seen as part of the BJP's bid to expand its reach in the northeastern region ahead of the assembly polls in the state.
The 58-year-old MLA from Nadaun was head of the Congress campaign in Himachal Pradesh.
This is a massive jump for the BJP, which was restricted to mere 99 votes in 2017. The Congress, which had won 77 seats riding on the Patidar quota agitation wave in the previous elections, won just 17 seats.
Getting support from all sections, the BJP won 156 seats in a House of 182, garnering a vote share of nearly 53%, the highest for any party in the western state.
Wife of six-time CM late Virbhadra Singh, Pratibha is currently an MP from Mandi. The other prospective candidates are Mukesh Agnihotri and Sukhvinder Sukhu.
The 182-member Gujarat Assembly has 27 seats reserved for the Scheduled Tribes. Of these, 14 constituencies in the South Gujarat region have already voted in the first phase on December 1.
The election was held in 89 seats across 19 districts of Saurashtra-Kutch and southern regions of the state.
The manifesto ensured 50% reservation for women in government jobs and promised to rename the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad to Sardar Patel stadium.